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Home For Birders For Teachers Fledging Birders Challenge Programs
| Fledging Birders Institute P.O. Box 1774 Bellmawr, NJ 08099 logo developed by aclogodesign@aol.com Osprey, Northern Cardinal, and Great Blue Heron images courtesy of www.scottelowitzphotography.com |
| Origins of the Fledging Birders Institute |
As a Special Education teacher, he guided his students to success by making new, challenging
concepts both interesting and meaningful for them. He started using these same strategies to
introduce the students to birding on morning walks around their school. Many of these "birding
students" exhibited positive changes in the classroom, both academically and behaviorally,
almost immediately.
Seeing the elation of his own children as they birded, he wanted to share this joy with others.
However, after witnessing the profound effects birding holds for children, he realized all children
should be given the opportunity to benefit from birding and the natural world in general.
The initial Fledging Birders web site was launched to provide birders and teachers with some
reasons and ideas to introduce more people to birding. He also conducted an "Introduction to
Birding" Survey to better understand the avenues by which contemporary birders arrived at their
beloved hobby AND what about birding keeps them hooked. The survey proved very insightful and
has helped shape some of our current and upcoming programs.
In the spring of 2007, the New Jersey Schoolyard Birding Challenge was piloted on the web site
as a means of encouraging teachers to take their students on bird walks. Feedback from
participating teachers included more stories of students being profoundly affected by the birding
activities. The next step was obvious.
The Schoolyard Birding Challenge was made available to all public and private schools across
North America in September of 2007. Since then, the Fledging Birders philosophy and methods
have been able to benefit more people through our program's expansion, articles in education
journals and popular publications, presentations at international bird conservation conferences,
and growing support within the birdwatching community.
The recently founded Fledging Birders Institute is dedicated to introducing broader audiences to
the beauty, wonder, and joy of birds with the goal of promoting a societal bird conservation ethic.
concepts both interesting and meaningful for them. He started using these same strategies to
introduce the students to birding on morning walks around their school. Many of these "birding
students" exhibited positive changes in the classroom, both academically and behaviorally,
almost immediately.
Seeing the elation of his own children as they birded, he wanted to share this joy with others.
However, after witnessing the profound effects birding holds for children, he realized all children
should be given the opportunity to benefit from birding and the natural world in general.
The initial Fledging Birders web site was launched to provide birders and teachers with some
reasons and ideas to introduce more people to birding. He also conducted an "Introduction to
Birding" Survey to better understand the avenues by which contemporary birders arrived at their
beloved hobby AND what about birding keeps them hooked. The survey proved very insightful and
has helped shape some of our current and upcoming programs.
In the spring of 2007, the New Jersey Schoolyard Birding Challenge was piloted on the web site
as a means of encouraging teachers to take their students on bird walks. Feedback from
participating teachers included more stories of students being profoundly affected by the birding
activities. The next step was obvious.
The Schoolyard Birding Challenge was made available to all public and private schools across
North America in September of 2007. Since then, the Fledging Birders philosophy and methods
have been able to benefit more people through our program's expansion, articles in education
journals and popular publications, presentations at international bird conservation conferences,
and growing support within the birdwatching community.
The recently founded Fledging Birders Institute is dedicated to introducing broader audiences to
the beauty, wonder, and joy of birds with the goal of promoting a societal bird conservation ethic.
Our founder discovered birding "later in life".
Shortly after being bit by the birding bug, he
received life-changing news. He anticipated that
pending parental duties meant the end of his
birding days. Wrong! He quickly discovered the
immense pleasure of sharing birds and nature
with his own children. Birding with babies was
different but just as good.
(Admittedly, the "lists" are shorter.)
Shortly after being bit by the birding bug, he
received life-changing news. He anticipated that
pending parental duties meant the end of his
birding days. Wrong! He quickly discovered the
immense pleasure of sharing birds and nature
with his own children. Birding with babies was
different but just as good.
(Admittedly, the "lists" are shorter.)
| Bringing the joy AND BENEFITS of birding to others - to promote both healthy living and bird conservation. |